Making a Bending Iron Stand
For those who plan to make a bending iron apparatus, here are some ideas to work with. This stand was made using the following materials:
(1) 2" x 12" Pipe nipple
(2) 1/2" x 8" carriage bolts-Note that carriage bolts
come threaded on just the last 1" or so of the shaft
or threaded most of the way up the shaft. You want
the ones with longer threads.
(6) 1/2" hex nuts
(4) 1/2" cut washers
(1) piece of wood for the base. Must be thick enough
that the threads of your carriage bolts are below
the surface of the wood. You can stack up pices
to get the right thickness. The base shown here is
2 1/4" thick x 4 1/2" wide x 17 1/2" long.
You will need to drill two 1/2" holes in the pipe. Be sure to place the farthest hole no further than you can reach inside the pipe because you will need to thread a nut on the inside end. Also drill two 1/2" holes through the wood base in the same spacing as the pipe holes. Counter sink the wood base holes on the bottom enough so that the carriage bolt heads will be just below the surface. When you thread the carriage bolts through the base, do not thread them all the way down at first. You will need to be able to turn the carriage bolts enough to thread the nuts on inside the pipe.
Inside view. Thread the nuts on the same distance. Tighten the on the outside of the pipe.
The end of the pipe can be covered with a soda can. Cut the can about in half with scissors. Make horizontal slits in the sides of the can and role the sides inwards until the can will thread onto the nipple end. Poke some holes in the can end or the torch will not burn properly.
The length of your wood base really depends on what type of torch canister you use. You will want one long enough that you can put a wood stop on the base to hold the torch. The air holes at the base of the torch tip must be outside the pipe or the torch will not stay lit.
View of bottom of base with countersunk carriage bolts.
